Russia has warned against the negative repercussions of Israel’s controversial plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, stating that such a move could escalate violence in the Middle East region.

“Such expansionist moves by Israel may provoke a dangerous wave of violence across the Palestinian territories and de-stabilize the Middle East as a whole,” the press office of Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It added, “The Russian side has warned its Israeli partners about carrying out unilateral plans that do not adhere to the international framework of Middle Eastern de-escalation.”

The ministry further highlighted that Israel’s annexation of the Jordan Valley and other areas in the West Bank will “undermine the territorial integrity of the West Bank, which is crucial for the sustainability of a future Palestinian state based on the [pre-]1967 borders.”

The statement stressed that Moscow principally supports “a comprehensive and sustainable resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the (so-called) two-state solution within the given international legal conditions.”

The ministry then called upon “all sides to refrain from any steps that may provoke a new dangerous escalation in the region, and hinder the re-launch of direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry finally said Moscow “maintains contact with UN, EU, and US representatives in order to hold a meeting [on the subject], possibly including interested Arab states and the Arab League.”